Duty of the part and parcel

Expressions researched:
"duty of the parts" |"duty of the fragment" |"duty of the part and parcel"

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

As it is the duty of the parts of the body to serve the whole, it is the duty of Kṛṣṇa's devotees to serve Kṛṣṇa as He wants

SB 10.1.64, Purport: Whenever there is a burden created by the demons and whenever the innocent devotees are distressed by demoniac rulers, the Lord appears in due course of time to kill the demons with the assistance of His real representatives, who are technically called demigods. In the Upanisads it is stated that the demigods are different parts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is the duty of the parts of the body to serve the whole, it is the duty of Krsna's devotees to serve Krsna as He wants. Krsna's business is to kill the demons, and therefore this should be a devotee's business also. Because the people of Kali-yuga are fallen, however, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of kindness for them, did not bring any weapon to kill them. Rather, by spreading Krsna consciousness, love of Krsna, He wanted to kill their nefarious, demoniac activities. This is the purpose of the Krsna consciousness movement. Unless the demoniac activities on the surface of the world are diminished or vanquished, no one can be happy. The program for the conditioned soul is fully described in Bhagavad-gita, and one simply has to follow these instructions to become happy.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Now, everyone can understand what is the duty of the fragment to the whole, fragment to the whole, that the Kṛṣṇa is the whole, whole machine

Lecture on BG 4.20-24 -- New York, August 9, 1966: Now, everyone can understand what is the duty of the fragment to the whole, fragment to the whole, that the Krsna is the whole, whole machine. Suppose... In this mechanical world we can understand that the whole machine is there, but there is a small screw which is fragment of that machine. So that screw should be properly adjusted in the machine and it will help machine working nicely. Similarly, we are all different fragments of the Supreme, Krsna, and if we dovetail ourself in the work of Krsna that is the highest yajna. That is the performance of yajna.

Yes. Knowledge: "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or God. My duty as part and parcel is to serve Kṛṣṇa." Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. The duty of the part and parcel is to serve

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969: Yes. Knowledge: "I am part and parcel of Krsna, or God. My duty as part and parcel is to serve Krsna." Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. The duty of the part and parcel is to serve.

Just like you are part and parcel of American state. As soon you are called by the state, oh, you have to go to fight. You have to do it. That's your duty, to serve the state. Similarly, if I am part and parcel of God, what is my duty? To serve God. This is religion. This is religion, not that you become God. You become God.

Just like I told you, this finger is body so long the finger is giving service to the body. If the finger is cut off, you don't care for this bod... But so long this finger is attached with body, if there is any trouble, you spend millions of dollars to cure it. But when it is cut off, it has no value. Similarly, so long you are attached with Krsna in Krsna consciousness -- you are giving service -- then your life is sublime. And as soon as you are apart from Him, then it is useless. This is knowledge. This is sublime knowledge.

So it is the duty of the part and parcel of God to help Him enjoying. That is bhakti

Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973: We have given several times this example, just like these fingers. They are my part and parcel of the body. The finger catches a nice sweetmeat. It is not the business of the fingers to enjoy the sweetmeat, but it gives to the mouth to go to the stomach for enjoyment. So it is the duty of the part and parcel of God to help Him enjoying. That is bhakti. Bhakti means anukulyena krsnanusilanam [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Anukula. Anukula means favorably. Krsnanusilanam, Krsna consciousness. Always thinking how to make Krsna happy. That is bhakti. Anukulyena krsnanusilanam. Just like gopis, the first-class example are the gopis or the inhabitants of Vrndavana. They are all trying to make Krsna happy. That is Vrndavana. If here also, if you try to make Krsna happy, this can be converted into Vrndavana, Vaikuntha.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Then what is our duty? If this relationship is accepted, then what is the duty of the part and parcel? The duty of the part and parcel is to serve the whole

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Montreal, August 2, 1968: There are 8,400,000's of forms. All together, every one of us, not only human being, but also animal, beast, birds, trees, plants, insect, everyone -- they are all part and parcel of the Supreme, just like the hair, a piece of hair, is also part and parcel of the body. When one hair is picked up, you feel pains and pleasure. When the finger is pinched, you feel pains and pleasure -- because they are part and parcel. Now, this is our relationship with God: part and parcel. God, or Krsna, is the whole, and we are part and parcel. Then what is our duty? If this relationship is accepted, then what is the duty of the part and parcel? The duty of the part and parcel is to serve the whole. Anyone can understand. This finger is part and parcel of my body, so as the body desires, the finger is working. I desire the finger may work here like this; immediately works.

That is not very good intelligence. Good intelligence is that "I am eternal part and parcel of Nārāyaṇa, and it is the duty of the part and parcel to serve the whole

Lecture on SB 3.25.33-34 -- Bombay, December 3, 1974: So these are all rascal philosophy. This is not. Nobody should become so ambitious as to become one with the Supreme. That is not very good intelligence. Good intelligence is that "I am eternal part and parcel of Narayana, and it is the duty of the part and parcel to serve the whole." That is correct philosophy. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body, so it is the duty of the finger to serve the whole body. Whenever I ask any service from the finger, "Come here," it is coming here. "Come here," it is coming here, "Come here." This is the duty. That is the normal condition. If at once with my order the finger cannot come here or come here, then it is diseased -- because it cannot give service. So, so long as we are part and parcel of Krsna, or the Supreme Lord, our duty is to give service. That is the description given by Lord Caitanya. Everywhere in every sastra, that is the... Jivera 'svarupa' haya-nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Eternally we are servant.

So what is the duty of the part and parcel? That is also very easy to understand. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body

Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974: So what is the duty of the part and parcel? That is also very easy to understand. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. So what is the duty of the finger? I ask the finger, "Please come here." It comes immediately. I ask the finger, "Come here." So that means service. Therefore part and parcel's duty is... Just like in a office, if I say, "This man is one of our part," or "one of my partner," a partner means he is working for the same interest. That is partner. So similarly, we are part and parcel of Krsna -- that means we must be partner of Krsna. And what Krsna wants? Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66]. He wants. So as partner of Krsna, you should preach that "You surrender to Krsna." That is your business.

So what is the duty of the part and parcel? Just like this finger. I am feeling some itching sensation; immediately comes, naturally, without asking. It's always ready to serve. This is the duty of the part and parcel. So if we are part and parcel of God, then what is our duty? To serve God, that's all

Lecture on SB 6.1.43 -- Los Angeles, June 9, 1976: So what is our dharma? Living entities, we are part and parcel of God; we are not separated from God. Just like this finger is not separated from the whole body, a part of the body. So when Krsna says that "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel..." Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah jiva-loke sanatanah [Bg. 15.7]. Not that the part and parcel is differently created. As soon as the body is there, the part and parcel are also there. So what is the duty of the part and parcel? Just like this finger. I am feeling some itching sensation; immediately comes, naturally, without asking. It's always ready to serve. This is the duty of the part and parcel. So if we are part and parcel of God, then what is our duty? To serve God, that's all. This is our duty. So anyone who is serving always Krsna, or God, he is dharmi; he is in dharma. And who is not serving is adharma. Because a duty... It requires treatment. This finger, part and parcel of my body. I want to get some service from the finger, but if the finger is diseased or due to some pain or some injury it cannot serve the body, it requires treatment. This is natural. Similarly, punishment means treatment. Why government has opened so many prison house? So this punishment... Government does not desire to keep the prison house open and inviting, "Please come here." No, that is not the policy. Policy is that "One who is outlaw, diseased, he should be brought here and corrected."

Initiation Lectures

Every living entity is part and parcel of God; therefore the duty of the part and parcel is to serve the whole

Initiation Lecture and Ceremony -- New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972:: This is going on. Krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare pasate maya... This is maya. This disease has to be cured. That requires knowledge and religious (indistinct). That's required. So, this Krsna consciousness movement means to train people to come to the original constitutional position. What is that? Every living entity is part and parcel of God; therefore the duty of the part and parcel is to serve the whole. The part and parcel cannot enjoy individually or independent -- that is not possible. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It has to enjoy at a certain cost. Not that a finger will catch up some rasagulla and enjoy it -- that is not possible. It must go through the stomach. The rasagulla will be caught and put into the mouth -- it must go to the stomach, and the stomach will digest it, and the energy will be distributed, not only to this finger but other fingers, other parts of the body. This has to be learned. That is called yato bhaktir adhoksaje. We are discussing that point. And this Krsna consciousness movement is so nice that immediately everyone comes into ecstasy, and he wants to serve Krsna.

General Lectures

What is the duty of the parts and parcel? Suppose this finger—they are the parts and parcel of my body. What is the duty of the finger? The finger has to catch the foodstuff or prepare the foodstuff and put into the mouth

Lecture at Bharatiya V idya Bhav a n -- Bombay, October 18, 1973:: So this definition given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that jivera svarupa haya krsna nitya-dasa: "The real, original characteristic of the living entity is to serve Krsna." That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna says, mamaivamso jiva-bhutah: [Bg. 15.7] "All these living entities, they are My parts and parcels." Just try to understand. What is the duty of the parts and parcel? Suppose this finger -- they are the parts and parcel of my body. What is the duty of the finger? The finger has to catch the foodstuff or prepare the foodstuff and put into the mouth. The finger cannot enjoy; it has given to the stomach. Similarly, if we are parts and parcel of Krsna, we cannot enjoy anything directly without giving Krsna. That is our duty.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

The parts and the Whole being eternally related, it is the eternal duty of the parts to render service unto the Whole

Letter to Raja Mohendra Pratap -- Cawnpore 13 July, 1947: Besides you have not quoted any authority for all your statements. So it is more or less dogmatic. If different men put different dogmatic views about religion and its essentials who is to be accepted and who is not be? Therefore the approach shall be and must be authoritative, scientific and universal. Your delineations do not conform to all these necessary things. That is my main contention. If you have time to discuss on it, I shall be glad to substantiate my contentions as far as possible. My basis of arguments will be Bhagavad-gita which is the most authoritative, scientific and universal. To summarise the conclusions of Bhagavad-gita it may be said that,

1) God is one and everything is in Him and He is in everything.

2) To render transcendental service unto God is to serve everything that be, just like to water the root of the tree is to water the different branches and numerous leaves of the tree or to supply food to the stomach is to vitalize all the senses and the sense organs of the body.

3) The parts are automatically served when the Whole is served but when the parts are served the whole may not be served or not served at all.

4) The parts and the Whole being eternally related, it is the eternal duty of the parts to render service unto the Whole.

1970 Correspondence

The duty of the part and parcel is to render service to the whole; as much as different limbs of the body are engaged to render service to the whole body

Letter to Sriman Bankaji -- Los Angeles 13 March, 1970: In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The living entities are His eternal parts and parcels. The duty of the part and parcel is to render service to the whole; as much as different limbs of the body are engaged to render service to the whole body. These things are very simple to understand, but when they are presented in a round about way, simply by jugglery of words, it becomes cumbersome, and the desired result is not achieved.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

So we should understand what is the duty of the part and parcel. Now, just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. So what is the duty of the finger? To serve the whole body

Evening Darsana -- July 7, 1976, Washington, D.C.: Whatever chemical composition is Atlantic Ocean, we are also of the same chemical composition. And because we are part and parcel of God, therefore we show sometimes activities very wonderful, but still, God's activities are still more wonderful. That we cannot compare. That is not possible. So we should understand what is the duty of the part and parcel. Now, just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. So what is the duty of the finger? To serve the whole body. I order the finger "Please come here," immediately it does like this. So the finger, being part and parcel of the body, it is the duty of the finger to serve the whole body. When the finger is unable to give any service, then it is diseased. If there is some pain in the finger, I want to use this finger for some purpose, to pick up this flower, I cannot do it, that means it is diseased. Similarly, we living entities, part and parcel of God, when we are unable to give service to the Supreme, that is our diseased condition. That is not normal condition. And when we are actually able to give service to God, that is our healthy condition. So in the materialistic way of life we are diseased. Because we are diseased, therefore we have to accept birth and death. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyet sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. So we have to get free from this diseased condition. Suddhyet sattvam. Yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam.(end)